Purgatorio, un viaje al corazón de la frontera

Country:
Mexico, USA

Production year: 2013

Festival: 2013

Director: Rodrigo Reyes

Producer: Rodrigo Reyes, Inti Cordera

Duration: 80 min

Genre:
documentary

Description:

The Mexico-U.S. border is compared to purgatory from Dante's "Divine Comedy". In the 14th-century poem the pilgrims endured the hardships of purgatory secure in the knowledge they'd eventually make it to paradise. In Reyes' documentary this is not at all obvious. Leaving politics aside, it presents some moving stories of the people living on both sides of the border. This extremely insightful and compelling look at people and places was shot during a four-week journey from Tijuana in Mexico to southern Texas.
Director's statement: "Being an immigrant from Mexico City, I have always had a deep and confused link to the U.S.-Mexico border. I made this film in response to my own feelings about the region: feelings of discomfort, anxiety, fear, and hope. I wanted a sense of epic proportions and deep poetry, akin to the work of Herzog or Kubrick".

Rodrigo Reyes:

Mexican director and producer. Born in Mexico City in 1983. He studied foreign affairs at universities in San Diego, Mexico City, and Madrid. Instead of following this career path, he chose to become a filmmaker. In 2009 he directed his first documentary short, "The 12th of December", and one year later made his first full-length documentary, "99 Years After the Revolution". His films have screened throughout Mexico in several documentary film festivals. "Purgatorio" is his latest full-length documentary.

Filmografia:

2013 Purgatorio, a Journey Into the Heart of the Border
2011 Memories of the Future
2010 99 Years After The Mexican Revolution
2009 The 12th Of December (kr.m.)